A 5,000-year-old Neolithic long cairn in the Yorkshire Dales has been granted scheduled monument status by the government, providing it with the highest level of legal protection. The decision follows concerns that walkers have been removing and moving stones from the site, sometimes inadvertently causing damage.
The Dudderhouse Hill long cairn, near the village of Austwick in North Yorkshire, dates from approximately 3,400 to 2,400 BC. It is considered one of the earliest visible structures in England and one of the first to be communally constructed by humans.
Paul Jeffery, national listings manager at Historic England, said the monument helps us understand the lives, deaths and beliefs of the first farming communities. He noted that to the untrained eye, the site may appear as a large pile of stones, which has led to unintentional damage from people using stones as way markers for walkers.
The long cairn likely served multiple purposes, including funerary rites, as a seasonal marker, and as a territorial statement. Evidence suggests that the deceased were left exposed before body parts were interred in the monument. Scheduled status will allow the national park authority to educate the public about the site's importance.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “Scheduling this remarkable neolithic long cairn ensures that this rare and fragile piece of our prehistoric heritage receives the protection it deserves.”
